Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
| status1 = Operating | opened1 = | closed1 = | replaced1 = Big Thunder Ranch | replacement1 = | park2 = Disney's Hollywood Studios | coordinates2 = | status2 = Under construction | opened2 = | closed2 = | replaced2 = Streets of America | replacement2 = }} Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is a themed area inspired by the Star Wars universe'','' located within Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and forthcoming at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The area encompasses at each park. Galaxy's Edge takes place within the village of Black Spire Outpost, on the wild frontier planet of Batuu, and features several attractions, shops, restaurants, and entertainment offerings. The lands were announced on August 15, 2015 and construction at both parks began on April 14, 2016. The Disneyland version opened on May 31, 2019, and Disney's Hollywood Studios' version is scheduled to open on August 29, 2019. Walt Disney Imagineering executive Scott Trowbridge supervised the development and construction of the new land at both parks. History Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was first publicly announced by The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015, though it did not have an official name at the time. According to Iger, it would be "occupied by many inhabitants; humanoids, aliens and droids … the attractions, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology." Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, stated that the land "will introduce you to a Star Wars planet you've never seen before — a gateway planet located on the outer rim, full of places and characters familiar and not so familiar." In an interview for the winter 2015 issue of the official Disney fan club publication Disney twenty-three, Trowbridge stated: "Our intent is to make it feel as if you just walked into one of the movies... Bringing Star Wars to life in the physical world gives us the opportunity to play with a whole bunch of things we've never done before... to really engage all of the senses. What does that street feel like? What does that animal smell like? What does blue milk taste like?" Iger announced in March 2016 that construction on both versions of the land would begin in April 2016. Construction began at both locations on April 14, 2016. In February 2017, Iger stated that the lands are scheduled to open in 2019 at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios. In July 2017 at the D23 Expo, Chapek revealed that the themed lands would be called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Chapek also announced that the Disneyland version would open first. In November 2017, Trowbridge announced that the planet portrayed by the land is called Batuu, which appears in the 2018 novel Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances. In May 2018, Trowbridge revealed that the name of the planet's village is Black Spire Outpost, an organization briefly mentioned in the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was also announced that the Disneyland version of the land would open in summer 2019, followed by the Disney's Hollywood Studios version in late fall 2019. The names of the two new attractions at each location were announced in November 2018 during the D23 Destination D event held at Walt Disney World. A five issue comic miniseries that introduced people to the area's location was released in April 2019. Iger announced the opening dates for both locations on March 7, 2019. The Disneyland version of the land was dedicated on May 29, 2019. In attendance at the dedication ceremony, were Iger, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and series actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams. The land opened to the public on May 31. Beginning June 24, a virtual queuing system was implemented. Design Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) designed the project in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, with Imagineer Scott Trowbridge supervising the project, Asa Kalama and Chris Beatty serving as executive creative directors, and Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo and designer Doug Chiang of Industrial Light & Magic involved as consultants. Together, the team decided to set the lands on a new planet, located within the Outer Rim of the Unknown Regions. Described as a "remote frontier outpost", the planet Batuu has not previously appeared in other media, although it has existed within canon "for thousands and thousands of years." The team chose to create a newly designed world instead of using an existing planet from the films such as Tatooine or Hoth, because those locations evoked a pre-existing familiarity with guests, with Trowbridge explaining, "We wanted to build new Star Wars stories, new Star Wars destinations, but this time you could be in that story that required us to go to a new place." The development team drew inspiration from real-world locations, including Istanbul, Morocco, and Jerusalem, and traveled there to study the architecture, culture, and weather. The team also cited Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the [[Star Wars#Original trilogy|original Star Wars trilogy]] as a basis for the aesthetic look of the land. The landscape of Galaxy's Edge features -tall spires standing amongst the rockwork that are intended to be the petrified remains of massive trees of an ancient forest; Imagineers based this landscape from the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. WDI used in-house virtual reality programs to realize where to use forced perspective and place thematic details in relation to sightlines to hide show buildings from guest view. The story events are set between the films The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and depict the rising presence of both the First Order and Resistance. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will have two new attractions: ''Millennium Falcon'': Smugglers Run, which allows riders to control the Millennium Falcon, which features a "customized secret mission", and ''Star Wars'': Rise of the Resistance will place guests into the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Concept art depicts a full-size Millennium Falcon situated among alien buildings built into tall cliffs. Rise of the Resistance has been said to be a 28 minute long experience with more than 300 animated objects; they will be the largest show buildings Disney has ever built for a dark ride. Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Kipsang Rotich reprised their roles in the attraction as Rey, Poe Dameron, Finn, Kylo Ren, and the voice of Nien Nunb, respectively from the films. Frank Oz reprised the role as the voice of Yoda, providing audio work for the character in Savi's Workshop. In addition, the area features Oga's Cantina, which is the first location in Disneyland Park to sell alcoholic drinks to the public. Riders' performances on the Millennium Falcon influence how they are treated at the cantina, adding to the immersive experience. According to the Disney Parks Blog, "perform with skill and you may earn extra galactic credits, while bringing the ship back banged up could put you on the list of a bounty hunter. End up on Harkos' list and you may face a problem if you show up at the local cantina." The cantina's music is provided by RX-24, a droid that was first seen in Star Tours, and is now the cantina's DJ. Paul Reubens returned to voice the character. The Black Spire Outpost marketplace contains a toy stall run by a Toydarian, an alien species that was seen on Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. There is also a creature stall. Music Longtime Star Wars composer John Williams returned to compose the main musical theme for Galaxy's Edge. Williams' theme is interpolated and arranged diversely throughout the land as ambient music, instead of in its traditional symphonic format. William Ross, who conducted the symphonic recording of the theme with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) on Williams' behalf, was also responsible for arranging Williams' original composition in different musical contexts for use. Ross and the LSO recorded nearly an hour of musical material at Abbey Road Studios in November 2018. The musical score for Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance attractions feature reprisals of [[Music of Star Wars|previous Star Wars themes]] written by Williams, adapted and conducted by Ross. A five-minute symphonic suite was released digitally by Walt Disney Records on May 3, 2019. In addition to Williams's score, 29 original songs were commissioned to the music team for use as ambience as well. Locations Disneyland Park At Disneyland Park, Galaxy's Edge is located to the north of Frontierland, where Big Thunder Ranch and backstage areas were located. As a result of the expansion, Disney purchased nearby properties to relocate the office and warehouse space that was on the land. The construction of Galaxy's Edge required a reconfigured route for the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America. A first look at how these changes would impact the park were revealed in January 2016, when concept art was released depicting the northern bank of the river after construction was completed. On January 11, 2016, several attractions in Frontierland and Critter Country were closed. Big Thunder Ranch closed permanently, including the multifunction event space, barbecue restaurant and petting zoo. Other attractions closed temporarily, including the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America. Tom Sawyer Island reopened on June 16, 2017, and Fantasmic! reopened on July 17, 2017. The Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes reopened on July 29. The land opened on May 31, 2019. Disney's Hollywood Studios At Disney's Hollywood Studios, Galaxy's Edge is replacing the majority of the park's Streets of America, including the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure which closed on April 2, 2016, as well as the surrounding backlot facades, restaurants, and shops. Together with the previously closed Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction, Galaxy's Edge is part of a major expansion of the park that includes ''Toy Story'' Land. The remaining operating portions of Streets of America (containing Muppet*Vision 3D) were refurbished as Grand Avenue and Grand Park, a Los Angeles-themed street. The land will be accompanied by the ''Star Wars'' Hotel. The land is scheduled to open on August 29, 2019. Attractions * ''Millennium Falcon'': Smugglers Run – a simulator ride in which guests pilot the Millennium Falcon. Restaurants and shops * Oga’s Cantina * Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo * Ronto Roasters * Kat Saka’s Kettle * Savi’s Workshop – a shop where guests can create and purchase their own custom lightsaber. * Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities – a store where guests can purchase Jedi or Sith Holocron artifacts. * Mubo’s Droid Depot - a shop where guests can create and purchase their own custom droid. * Bina’s Creature Stall * Toydarian Toyshop * First Order Cargo * Resistance Supply * The Milk Stand - a stand where guests can purchase blue or green milk. Future * ''Star Wars'': Rise of the Resistance – a dark ride in which guests are involved in a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. The attraction will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World on December 5, 2019, while the version at Disneyland Park will open on January 17, 2020. Other media | books = Black Spire | novels = A Crash of Fate | short_stories = Star Wars: Myths and Fables | comics = 5 issue mini-series | graphic_novels = | strips = | magazines = | films = | shorts = | tv = | wtv = | atv = | tv_specials = | tv_shorts = | tv_films = | dtv = | plays = | musicals = | games = | rpgs = | vgs = | radio = | soundtracks = | music = John Williams composition | toys = | attractions = | otherlabel1 = Theme parks (pending) | otherdata1 = | otherlabel2 = | otherdata2 = | otherlabel3 = | otherdata3 = | otherlabel4 = | otherdata4 = | otherlabel5 = | otherdata5 = | otherlabel6 = | otherdata6 = | otherlabel7 = | otherdata7 = | otherlabel8 = | otherdata8 = | otherlabel9 = | otherdata9 = | website = | footnotes = | sp = }} *Music: The land's theme music was composed by John Williams and then recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios conducted by William Ross. A 5-minute symphonic suite was released digitally by Walt Disney Records on May 3, 2019. *Comic books: Galaxy's Edge received its own five issue mini-series from Marvel starting in April 2019. The Star Wars galaxy location featured in the themed land, Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, is the focus of the series written by Ethan Sacks with art by Will Sliney. *Prose books: ** Black Spire (Del Rey, September 2019) by Delilah Dawson; General Leia Organa dispatches a spy to the planet Batuu looking for possible Resistance allies. ** A Crash of Fate, a Young Adult novel (Disney Lucasfilm Press) by Zoraida Cordova; childhood friends reunited as they are chased by the planet's smugglers. ** Star Wars: Myths and Fables, a middle reader novel (Disney Lucasfilm Press) written by George Mann, with art by Grant Griffin; an anthology that includes two stores based on Batuu. See also * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a themed land at Universal Parks & Resorts in Universal Orlando, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, and Universal Studios Hollywood * [[Pandora – The World of Avatar|Pandora – The World of Avatar]], a themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom *Marvel-themed areas at Disney parks, themed land being developed at Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park References External links *Official Disneyland website *Official Disney's Hollywood Studios website Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Category:Themed areas in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Category:Disneyland Category:Disney's Hollywood Studios Category:Attractions based on Star Wars Category:Proposed buildings and structures in the United States Category:Amusement rides introduced in 2019 Category:2019 establishments in California Category:2019 establishments in Florida Category:Space in amusement parks Category:2019 architecture Category:2021 architecture